The West has lost its mind!
A review of statements of Western politicians regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war, edging towards WW3, and the ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, plus some updates from the Middle East.
Earlier this week we saw Ukrainian escalatory attacks on Russian soil with US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, followed by Russian response with a strike on Yuzhmash, now known as Pivdenmash, a huge arms factory in Dnipropetrovsk, using its new Oreshnik Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM), which can reach European cities in a matter of minutes. I strongly recommend that you read the latest article by Mike Mihajlovic in the link below to better understand the impact of this new Russian MRBM (pun intended) on the battlefield and why it is such a game changer: in short, even without a nuclear warhead, it can deliver a quick, precise and massive punch, equivalent to that of a nuclear bomb, that can destroy protected underground facilities, thanks to its high kinetic speed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear in a televised speech (read the translated transcript here) that the battlefield test of the Oreshnik MRBM was in response to Western provocations and a message to the NATO masters of the military junta in Kiev (Ukraine). Here are some key excerpts (emphasis added by Karl Sanchez):
On November 19, six US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles and on November 21, a combined missile attack by the UK-made Storm Shadow and US-made HIMARS systems hit military targets in the Russian Federation – in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. From this point on, as we have repeatedly stressed earlier, the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global nature. Our air defense systems repelled these attacks. As a result, the goals that were obviously set by the enemy were not achieved.
[…]
In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons on November 21 of this year, the Russian Armed Forces launched a combined strike on one of the objects of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested – in this case, with a ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic equipment. Our rocket men called it "Hazel" [орешник]. The tests were successful, and the launch goal was achieved. On the territory of Ukraine, in the city of Dnepropetrovsk, one of the largest and most famous industrial complexes since the Soviet Union was hit, which still produces rocket equipment and other weapons.
[…]
I repeat: we are testing the Oreshnik missile system in combat conditions in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. The question of further deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles will be decided by us depending on the actions of the United States and its satellites. The targets to be hit during further tests of our newest missile systems will be determined by us based on threats to the security of the Russian Federation. We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow Ukraine to use their weapons against our facilities, and in the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and in a mirror image. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that have plans to use their military contingents against Russia also think about this seriously.
Guess what? Western governments have decided to ignore Putin’s message and keep playing with fire.
For instance, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot (lead image), said to BBC that there are no “set and expressed red lines” in Ukraine support and that…
We will support Ukraine as intensely and as long as necessary. Why? Because it is our security that is at stake. Each time the Russian army progresses by one square kilometre, the threat gets one square kilometre closer to Europe.
…while the Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, speaking on TV and referring to the latest Putin’s speech, said:
I think it is like the ancient warriors who beat their swords against their shields to intimidate their opponent. The missiles that Putin talks about, with which an experiment was carried out the other day, are old missiles, there is nothing new about them. They are retouched missiles, in short they have retouched missiles that they had to try to frighten the Ukrainian adversary in order to make a big noise.
We have video evidence and witnesses’ reports of the Russian strikes on Yuzhmash, yet these idiots ignore and even dismiss Putin’s warnings, especially after the Russian revision of its nuclear deterrence doctrine (check out Gilbert Doctor’s review in his latest post). That’s why I genuinely believe that the western governments must have lost their mind! However, please bear in mind that it is very unlikely that Russia will use its nuclear arsenal first, considering that they advanced conventional weapons such as the Oreshnik, which - by the way - can also be used with a nuclear warhead to increase its destructive power.
Nevertheless, as reported by Larry C. Johnson in his latest blog post, US Vice Admiral Buchanan announced earlier this week that the Outlaw US Empire “is prepared to fight and win a nuclear war with Russia”. They are completely crazy!
I would not be surprised if the White House decides to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles (with range of ~1500 km) to Ukraine, after rejecting Zelensky’s request earlier this year (read this Politico article for more info). Not that they would do much damage, as they are old and slow, especially if compared to the Oreshnik,
Another “fine” example is US Senator Lindsey Graham, who, as reported Al Mayadeen, last Friday (22nd November 2024) stated the following in an interview with Fox News, addressing NATO countries whose governments said they would abide by the arrest warrants that the International Criminal Court issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant:
Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we're going to sanction you.
If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and force the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation.
Another American example is Republican Senator Tom Cotton who tweeted the following on X:
In case you do not know what The Hague Invasion Act is, here is a link to its Wikipedia article. In brief, it gives the US President the power to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court”.
More examples of American hypocrites, who were happy when the ICC issued an arrest for Putin, are provided in the Al Mayadeen article in the link above.
On the other hand, former United Nations human rights official Craig Mokheiber warned his fellow countrymen about the consequences of their hostile reactions and threats against the ICC, as reported in another Al Mayadeen article:
Under Art. 70 of the Rome Statute of the ICC, you can be prosecuted for “impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing an official of the Court” and for “retaliating against an official of the Court on account of duties performed by that or another official”.
If convicted, you can face five years in prison. In addition, your lawlessness will result in even further isolation of the US on the world stage.
Both the global South and 124 ICC state parties will be compelled to oppose you. And decent people everywhere will resist your criminal conduct.
I wish there were more people like Craig Mokheiber, especially in Western governments! Instead we have to live with people like Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, Antonio Tajani, Jean-Noël Barrot, etc.
Since we have moved to the Middle East, I will provide some related news in the rest of this article. Let’s start with the good news of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems losing $2.1 billion after the UK decided to revoke a drone contract, as reported in this Al Mayadeen article.
Speaking of high-tech weapons, the New York Times and Al Mayadeen have reported that Hezbollah is using Almas missiles based on a reverse-engineered Israeli Spike anti-tank missile acquired during the war of 2006. Referring to Hezbollah's use of the Almas missile, Sarit Zehavi, former Israeli military intelligence analyst stated:
We’re familiar with the technology, but not with the fact that it’s in the hands of Hezbollah. We don’t have an answer to the anti-tank.
Just tonight Al Mayadeen has reported that Hezbollah destroyed 6 Israeli Merkava tanks and inflicting heavy casualties on Israeli forces in “a strategic and unprecedented operation in southern Lebanon” today (Sunday 24th November 2024):
In al-Bayyada, Hezbollah fighters lured Israeli occupation forces into a trap, allowing tanks and vehicles to move into the target zone. They then struck the forces, destroying four tanks in rapid succession and later a fifth tank attempting to recover the damaged vehicles. Another tank was destroyed near Deir Mimas.
“He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”.
6 is also the number of Israeli soldiers who committed suicide in recent months, as reported by Al Mayadeen, citing the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, though the actual number may be higher due to military censorship. No wonder Israeli soldiers commit suicide: they are probably haunted by the pain and suffering they have unleashed on innocent Palestinians.
Another Al Mayadeen article quoted Israeli media reporting more than 250 rockets from Lebanon since this morning, “with expectations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hold a discussion on ceasefire negotiations with Lebanon in the evening, following the strike on Tel Aviv”. This is funny if you consider what Tzvika Himovitch, former Israeli Air Defense official, said to the Israeli media outlet Israel Hayom, cited in this other Al Mayadeen article: that in the past Israel “ignored chances to end wars” in Gaza and Lebanon. In any case, a ceasefire with Hezbollah would be welcomed by 54% of Israeli (versus 24% opposing it), according to a recent survey by Israeli Channel 12, quoted by Al Mayadeen, which also reported that “64% of respondents expressing a lack of trust in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's management of the situation”, with only 30% expressing confidence in his leadership.
Speaking of Netanyahu, his lawyers are requesting a 15-day delay for the start of his testimony in his ongoing criminal trial over corruption charges (bribery, fraud, and breach of trust):
Despite this supreme effort, the defense is not prepared, and will not be able to meet the goal of being prepared, for beginning the defense by December 2.
…as per Al Mayadeen. “Supreme effort”… LOL! They had time since July, but apparently it was not enough! Of course, they are even using the ICC arrest warrant as an excuse, though very recent. The truth is that they are probably trying to postpone it every fortnight, since the 10-week delay request was rejected: good luck with that!
your title essentially sums it up - the leadership of the west has lost its mind.. the people of the west - that is a different matter, especially for those who have escaped the western msm vortex, lol..
Actually, they haven't lost their minds. What you're seeing, as Andrei Martyanov says daily, are people who are a combination of ignorant, stupid and arrogant because of their political position. These are people who think, as Pepe Escobar says, they are the "Masters of the Universe" (amusing to me since I was watching a Doctor Who season last night which featured my favorite Who villain, "The Master" - one of my role models in life.)
Thus, they assume they know everything the need to know, since they're the rulers over the rest of us, and therefore they can't make mistakes and don't need to know anything more than they (allegedly) do - which is usually, as Andrei says, degrees in law and finance. Andrei likes to say he wouldn't hire these people to run the counter at a burger joint.
I see the equivalent people in every forum I visit on the Internet, on X, and elsewhere. This is the result of the West's educational and political institutions: people who think they know everything because they're oblivious to everything they don't know. Their brains are limited to the limited ideologies of their parents - or the opposite limited ideologies if they rebel. They are educated to be worker bees and socially and politically obedient to the mythologies they were raised under.
In fact, this pretty much applies to the entire world. There's a line from a "G.I. Joe" comic book (which is a more sophisticated comic than you might imagine) which goes:
"Do you know how many people believe the President of the U.S. is secretly a foreigner? 24%. That the JFK assassination was an inside job? 76%. 9/11? 57%. Who believe the entire universe was created in 144 hours? 46%. You stagger through your lives in a mythological fog of ignorance and fear."
Entirely true - except the JFk and 9//1 conspiracies are probably real - which makes it even more true.